Alexander Zhukov spoke about the chances of Jan Nepomniachtchi at the Candidates Tournament

Exactly one year ago, the Council of the Russian Chess Federation officially moved to the Asian Chess Federation. The guests of honor, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov and President of the Russian Chess Federation Andrey Filatov, spoke live on MK about how the transition will affect our athletes, and whether Ian Nepomniachtchi is ready to fight again.

“Of course, Ian Nepomniachtchi is one of the strongest chess players in the world, but he did not perform very well in the last tournament, but some say that his goal was to psychologically relax his opponent,” says Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma. – The match for the world championship is a completely different story, and here every little thing is important. And of course, the team that helps the applicant is very important.

A lot depends on how the match goes, and it seems to me that he drew conclusions after the match with Carlsen and is quite ready for new heights. The forces of him and his opponent are approximately equal, but, in my opinion, Jan already has experience, and therefore he is the favorite of the upcoming match. Today chess is the most competitive sport. It seems that a chess player is sitting and not moving much, but in reality a chess player expends energy in a game and loses more weight than a football player in a match. Therefore, physical training is very important here.”

“We support Jan and believe in him very much,” says Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation. – He is the second chess player in history to win the Candidates Tournament twice. After the negative experience in the match with Carlsen, he completely classified his preparation: today, by the participant’s command, you can determine the match strategy, what kind of opening he will play and what style he will play. Keeping the team secret has become a new trend.”

As for the inclusion of the Russian Chess Federation into the Asian Chess Federation, Andrey Filatov said that this move to Asia was a strategic step, not a tactical one. And today the chess center of development is indeed located precisely in Asia: “Anatoly Karpov believed that it was necessary to remain both in Asia and in Europe, because Russia is among the few countries that are geographically located both in Asia and in Europe.”